FC 26 (PC/Steam) "Device offline" every launch, license folder empty
I purchased FC 26 on Steam and have never been able to launch it - I get a "your device is currently offline" error every single time, even though I'm logged into my EA account and my internet connection is working fine (confirmed via browser, other apps, etc).
What I've already tried, none of which fixed it:
- Fully restarted the EA App (exited via system tray, not just closed)
- Ran both EA App and FC26 as Administrator
- Verified/repaired game files via Steam
- Flushed DNS and reset Winsock, then restarted PC
- Allowed EA App and FC26 through Windows Firewall (Private + Public)
- Temporarily disabled antivirus to test
- No VPN/proxy in use
- Fully reinstalled the EA App (uninstalled via Windows Add/Remove Programs, fresh download, reinstalled)
- Confirmed the game shows as owned in my Steam purchase history
Additional finding: I checked C:\ProgramData\Electronic Arts\EA Services and the license folder there is completely empty. This suggests the activation/entitlement license for FC26 isn't being generated for my account, which seems like the real root cause rather than an actual connectivity issue.
Has anyone else run into this specific combination (empty license folder + offline error on every launch)? Did regenerating it or anything on EA's end fix it for you? Any help appreciated.
